Chapter 31: Arrangements

"However, I hope you can help the Magistrate resolve the autumn harvest first; this will be beneficial for all of us!"

The group was finally persuaded. They bowed to Chen Fan and said, "We shall follow your instructions, sir!"

Chen Fan led them back to the village, discussing the arrangements for the autumn harvest along the way. Despite their outward compliance, he could tell they were not truly in agreement, which left him feeling quite helpless. Their hearts were still preoccupied with their own land. Chen Fan realized that if he did not fully alleviate their concerns, it would inevitably plant the seeds of future trouble for the harvest.

He pondered for a moment and decided to win them over with good food. After all, if you want to capture a man's heart, you must first capture his stomach. Since yesterday’s meal hadn't quite done the trick, he would try another one. Besides, they had been too busy daydreaming yesterday to appreciate it.

Li Xing walked up to Chen Fan and leaned in close to his ear. "Brother Chen! Could you give us some guidance on the direction of our investigation? This matter is too simple; we guessed it was the remnants of the Xia faction from the start. Why not just arrest them?"

Chen Fan thought to himself that this lad was finally beginning to catch on. He was currently on the first level—he had realized that Liu Jia and his group were behind it and that their actions were meaningless—but he had not yet realized that even meaningless things hold their own significance.

"Just proceed as you have in the past and follow the established procedures," Chen Fan replied.

"But Brother Chen, we are just wasting time here! We must act quickly! Otherwise, they will destroy the evidence!"

"Li Xing, do not be impatient! Let me ask you: do you know the detailed process of the crime? Do you know the purpose of our visit? Do you know the plans arranged by the Magistrate? We must proceed slowly and carefully; one must never be rash!"

Chen Fan felt he had dropped enough hints for Li Xing to figure it out on his own. He turned to look at him, expecting to see a furrowed brow deep in thought. Instead, his mouth twitched; it seemed Li Xing hadn't absorbed his words at all. Instead, he had pulled out his small notebook to record exactly what Chen Fan had just said.

*Forget it,* Chen Fan thought. *At least he wrote it down. He should be able to figure it out once he looks at it later.*

When they returned to the village, it was already noon. Under the guidance of the cook from the Kai Xing Tavern, the villagers had prepared over a dozen tables of delicious food and wine. The group could smell the aroma from the edge of the village.

"Sniff that! What is that wonderful smell? It feels like I've smelled it somewhere before!"

"Quick, quick! The scent seems to be coming from the square. Let's go and see!"

The men quickened their pace, kicking up a cloud of dust in their wake. Chen Fan and the others covered their noses and mouths, a smile tugging at the corner of Chen Fan's lips. He knew he had them now; it was highly likely these men would agree to help with the farming. He decided that this time he couldn't be impatient; he had to lure them into the autumn harvest step by step.

When Chen Fan and Li Xing arrived at the square, the tables were already full. The men remained silent, ravenously devouring their meal. Seeing them arrive, the Village Chief hurried over to invite them to the seats of honor.

"Magistrate Chen," the Chief asked, "do you truly believe that after this autumn harvest, no one in the county will go hungry again?"

"Of course! This year, the Magistrate has been secretly and vigorously promoting the land reclamation decree. It is all so that the people of Zeng County will no longer suffer from hunger!"

"Magistrate Cao is truly a good official! You have no idea how many people have starved to death over these years! The villagers were unwilling to farm, and much fertile land has gone to waste. Our village has a large population and plenty of land, and we are fortunate that our ancestors left us so much. Otherwise, many in our village would have starved as well. The smaller villages nearby have been living hand-to-mouth. Old Yu and Old Wang often come to our village to borrow grain, and though our people are reluctant to lend it, we know that if we don't, many will die—especially the little girls. I have often taken my nephews and several young girls to deliver grain to them in the dead of night. Our village granary is nearly empty; it is only thanks to this year's harvest that I don't know how we would have survived at all!"

The Village Chief wiped away tears as he spoke. He was very old now. In his youth, he had grown up in a society where the male-to-female ratio was relatively balanced. Although the feudal era was characterized by the superiority of men over women, men in those days dared not treat their wives so recklessly if they wanted to find a partner.

Over the years, however, barbarian tribes had constantly encroached upon their borders, expanding their influence. Every year they attacked, and the Great Zhou dynasty had fought many large-scale decisive battles against them, usually once every three years. A single war would claim tens of thousands of soldiers. One must realize that the entire population of the Great Zhou was only ten million. These wars were exhausting and drained the treasury, leaving the regions in chaos. Had the Emperor of the Great Zhou not constantly paid attention to the people's livelihood, the kingdom would likely have been left undefended. If the people could not eat or clothe themselves, how could they multiply, and who would be left to protect the country?

Consequently, most of the men of the Great Zhou had been lost to these wars. To boost the population, the government had no choice but to assign wives to every adult male. But how could one cherish something that was so easily obtained? Thus, men began to look down on women more and more, and women were forced to rely on men for survival, leading to the severe inequality between the sexes that existed today.

The Village Chief’s generation still valued marriage. They treated their wives with mutual respect. The Chief himself had only ever taken one wife.

Chen Fan patted the Village Chief on the back. "Chief, there is no need to be so saddened! You are a village chief who truly deserves the title! If it weren't for the older generation like you carrying the burden, we young people would likely accomplish nothing!"

"Magistrate, you speak too highly of me! These are our children and grandchildren; I have failed to discipline them properly, and they cannot stand on their own two feet. I feel ashamed before our ancestors! But you officials are good! I believe in you and the Yamen; I believe you can lead us out of this predicament and make Zeng County prosperous once again! If there is anything you need us to cooperate with, just say the word. If I, this old bag of bones, can do something for my hometown before I die, I will have nothing to be ashamed of when I face my ancestors in the afterlife!"

"Your words are truly moving, Chief. They are excellent, and your mindset is a model for me to learn from!" Chen Fan stood up and respectfully offered a cup of wine to the Chief. "To be honest, Chief, there are indeed some things I need your help with."

"Please, Magistrate, speak!"

"Some of the villagers are still thinking about clearing wasteland instead of focusing on the harvest, and some don't want to work at all. I hope you can help me with some persuasive work."

"Magistrate Chen, you can rest assured and leave it to me. I know these young rascals! Deep down, they all want to make something of themselves. I will reason with them, and they will follow your lead. As for the one who doesn't want to work, that is Xia Kai. That rascal got lucky! He took a tael of silver to the county gambling den and won over ten taels. That’s enough for him to squander for a while. Now all the young men in the village want to gamble. I had to lock them up for a while just to get that idea out of their heads! Don't pay him any mind, that brat!"

Chen Fan felt a subtle sense that something was amiss, and a suspicion began to take root in his mind.